In many fields of healthcare, repeated measurement and monitoring of certain analytes present in bodily fluids, such as blood or urine, is of particular importance. A bodily fluid sample may be analyzed for a variety of properties or components, as is well known in the art. For example, such analysis may be directed toward hematocrit, coagulation, lead, iron, cholesterol, triglycerides, lactate, pyruvate, alcohol, uric acid, etc. One special case concerns, for example, patients affected by diabetes who need to measure the concentration of blood glucose very frequently in order to respond promptly with the correct medication. Exceeding certain blood glucose limits can result in coma or death. Even mildly elevated levels of blood glucose can result in gradually deteriorating health requiring long term monitoring to keep glycemic levels under control. As such, blood glucose data are useful to the physician who has the task to determine the most appropriate long-term therapy and to the patient who daily needs to adapt the administration of medications according to the measured glucose levels, which depend not only on diet, but also on daily physical activity and other factors that influence the patient's metabolism.
A number of small, reliable and low-cost medical devices, which can be handheld, are available today to the patient for self monitoring. Devices for controlled administration of therapeutic agents, such as insulin pumps, are also commercially available. The number of exemplary medical devices to which this invention refers to is, however, not limited to diabetes care. Worth mentioning are, for example, those devices for monitoring blood pressure or other blood parameters like coagulation factors and cholesterol.
Many medical devices available today include attaching a disposable test element to a reusable test meter with a sliding contact where the connector in the test meter slides along the test element, the test element contact, or both as the test element is inserted and removed from the test meter. However, these sliding contacts frequently result in the removal of material from the test element, such as by plowing or scraping, as the test element is inserted and removed from the test meter, although material may also be removed from the test meter. The removed material can build-up over time as numerous test elements are inserted and removed from a test meter affecting the proper operation of the system.
Additional complications can arise during the manufacture, storage or use of currently available test elements that are relatively thin and easily damaged while being handled.
Further complications can arise with the use of the typical medical devices when a patient or user suffers from poor eyesight or unsteady hands. These conditions might exist, for example, due to a congenital defect, a trauma, or an abnormal concentration of glucose in the blood, especially if the abnormal glucose concentration occurs over long periods. In other words, diabetic patients frequently suffer from visual impairment or a lack of fine motor skills, such as hand tremors.
It was realized by the inventors that improvements in biosensors are needed. For example, it was realized that improvements are needed in the connections between test elements and test meters, the durability of test elements, the ability to efficiently produce test elements, and a user's ability to dose a test element correctly. Certain features of the disclosed embodiments address these and other needs and provide other important advantages.